The work of Droog challenges
what is, almost by definition, the universal given of design, what
Ramakers calls the 'ideology of the new.' That is, the need to make
something new and in some cases the need to make anything at all.
Droog argue that the mass-produced glossy perfection of new objects
creates a distance between them and the people who buy them; they
offer a poor physical experience. Droog propose objects which allow
for relationships to form, objects that play with the ideas of imperfection,
reuse, interaction, tactility, craft and the lifespan of the object
Droog is not only a reaction to paradox, the Droog mentality is
in fact paradoxical. Their work is a criticism of consumer culture,
yet they are eager to commercialize and mass produce as much of
it as is viable. They make furniture (like Tejo Remy's seminal chest
of drawers, 'You can't lay down your memories'), which they claim
is 'no design'--indeed against design--yet their pieces are snapped
up by galleries and design museums worldwide. They say that style
creates distance between people and the objects, yet their work
has developed a common sense of non-style and is essentially design
with a big 'D'.
Droog's products claim to offer richer physical experience, but
in the same way that Droog is a mentality, their products are to
be consumed for their message. As predominantly limited edition
items, their work has to be seen essentially as an act of communication.
It's the paradoxical mentality that makes them smart and worth listening